The development of bi-stable plastic displays, and other active e-paper technology, presents the opportunity to produce portable battery powered electronic readers that feature long battery life, a superior reading experience even in bright light and which are almost unbreakable, and are highly water-resistant and lightweight. But the capabilities of this new technology are mitigated by the high cost of delivering fully mobile wireless content to such devices. The apparatus and method disclosed herein overcome this obstacle. Potential market applications, among others, that are expected to benefit from these capabilities include:
Newspapers and Magazines
Newspapers and magazines worldwide are beginning to fail because of competition from the internet and cell-phones both of which offer more content choices and better timeliness. E-readers, such as the Amazon Kindle™ and Sony® Reader, which utilize bi-stable displays can offer the same news content capabilities as cell phones and the internet along with a far superior reading experience. But, their success is being limited by the cost of content transmission and the battery consumption associated with use of cellular networks.
Construction Industry
An ongoing problem for large construction projects is tracking changes and insuring that field crew blueprints are always up to date. The quantity of data to be transmitted is large and cellular radio coverage is sometimes inadequate. Battery life is a critical concern for remote field locations.
Field Service
Repair service personnel frequently require manuals, diagrams and other data in support of their work. The quantity of data required can be substantial and some locations may be outside of cellular data service coverage.
Real Estate
Real Estate agents need up-to-date listing information as they travel with clients to introduce potential properties.
Medical
Electronic Health Records is a pressing national need as medical care consumes ever larger proportions of national GDP. Doctors, emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and other medical professionals would benefit from securely receiving patient records in a timely fashion and being able to view content on large displays encased in pocket size devices. The size of files for medicine can be large, and timely, secure delivery is essential.
Military and Police
Better integration of the individual soldier into the electronic command and control system increases combat effectiveness and reduces casualties. A receive-only system can also reduce the likelihood that radio transmissions might reveal the soldier's location to the enemy.